Detective Chief Superintendent Tatton asks PC Bradley to harbour Barry Ross, who has turned queen's evidence at the trial against crime boss Michael James Duggan. To keep Duggan from finding Ross the whole matter is to be kept secret and Bradley cannot even tell his friends and colleagues. Not even his superiors. When Ross needs medical attention Jackie sends for Dr. Tricia Summerbee, whom she knows can be trusted. Greengrass has moved to the West Indies to live with his sister, who has won a lot of money and wants to share it with him. Bernie Scripps' stepbrother Vernon arrives in Aidensfield and moves in with David at Greengrass' cottage. Vernon is quite an entrepreneur and he has lots of ideas on how to improve Bernie's business.

Sergeant Craddock attends dancing classes to keep up his dancing skills. He also has something of a soft spot for the dancing teacher Susan Finlay. That friendship is put to the test when her son Richard drives through Aidensfield like a regular Jackie Stewart and refuses to stop when the police want to give him a speeding ticket. Craddock lets him off with a warning, but the following night a little boy is run down by a hit-and-run driver, who may very well be Richard driving in her car. Lord Ashfordly is forced off the road by Richard's reckless driving. The petrol tank of his Bentley gets punctured in the incident and he takes it to Bernie's garage. But Bernie is out of town for a few days and Vernon becomes an instant expert on Bentleys when his lordship needs his car back badly.

Jackie's mother is visiting some friends, Joe and Shona Henderson, who live not far from Aidensfield. She still has not forgiven Jackie for marrying a mere village bobby, and their relationship does not improve when Jackie represents Jacob Fairbrother, who has been injured in an accident at Henderson's quarry. It almost reaches freezing when Shona Henderson is murdered and Fairbrother is suspected of the crime. David sees a flyer for a pop concert, and when Vernon Scripps discovers it is organized by Mickey Willis, the son of and old friend; he spots a business opportunity to cater the entire tour. Phil Bellamy and Gina have been seeing each other a lot lately. In fact they have been seeing each other so much that sergeant Craddock cannot turn a blind eye anymore since romantic relations between a police officer and a pub licensee are illegal.

Glenda Marriot wants her aunt Mrs. Barton to sell her farm and move to an old people's home, but the old lady says she can still manage together with her farmhand Jed Harrison. Glenda tries to take legal steps to make her sell, but somebody must be more intent on getting the old lady out and tries to scare her away. Vernon Scripps' latest idea is hot rods. He wants Bernie to build him one so that he can race it. PC Ventress is showing Special Constable Harold Emney around when he sees Gina leaving the maternal ward at Ashfordly Hospital. Of course he puts two and two together and gets five and before long everybody knows that she is pregnant - everybody that is except Gina and the assumed father Phil Bellamy.

Lord Ashfordly plays host to the Livonian Prince Nikolas and hires Vernon Scripps to bodyguard his distinguished guest. Not an easy task as it turns out because the prince is a great lover of liquor and will rather pay a visit to the Aidensfield Arms than to his lordship's wine cellar. Lord Ashfordly is not the only one awaiting guests. Mike Bradley is expecting his niece Anne and her friend Louise, but the two girls turn out to be very modern teenagers and not the cute little kids he imagined. They are more into parties than trips around the countryside. Dr. Summerbee has given up her job at the hospital in favour of Dr. Bolton's old practice in Aidensfield. Phil has a very special assignment for Bernie Scripps. He intends to propose to Gina and wants Bernie to drive her to a very romantic place. But Bernie has to help his brother and sends David instead. Only when you give directions to David you have to be _very_ specific!

During a dinner at Ashfordly Hall the county High Sheriff Andrew Parkin makes a pass at Susie Cope, who is serving at the dinner. On their way home from the dinner Parkin and his wife Sonia run down the farmer Colin Taylor. The Parkins claim that Mrs. Parkin was driving the car due to him having too much to drink, but PC Bradley is not sure because the driver's seat was too far back for her. Either way the accident may turn out to be a costly affair for the Parkins, because their insurance does not cover her driving the car. Furthermore Susie Cope tells Oscar Blaketon, who is acting as a private investigator on Taylor's behalf, that she is certain that it was the High Sheriff himself who was behind the wheel. Vernon Scripps revives an old idea of his, a marriage bureau.

Gareth North is the son of used car dealer Harry North and relies on his father's wealth to get him out of trouble. And trouble is something he gets into a lot of together with his girlfriend Gail and friend Vince. They attempt an armed robbery, but when PC Bellamy nearly catches them Gareth reports his car, which they used to get away, as stolen. The three of them even go as far as accusing Bellamy of beating up Gareth. Vernon Scripps wins a car in a poker game and decides to open a taxi service. But they do not get any customers, because they share a party line with Edith Fairley, who is always at the phone. She is hiding from her ex-husband Jack Fairley, who has just been released from prison. Bernie Scripps gets an unusual request. Minnie Bateson wants to make funeral arrangements for her husband Sydney. The unusual bit about it is that Sydney Bateson is still alive.

Renalto Pisconi is the manager of a gambling casino with distribution of counterfeit money on the side. Pisconi's father-in-law Reginald White, who owns the casino, is the leader of the counterfeiters with Denise as a third partner. The police get on their tracks through their former bartender John Garrick, who is arrested for using some of the counterfeit money at the Aidensfield Arms. Oscar Blaketon's car is broken beyond repair. Since he always wanted an MG Vernon Scripps gets the idea to sell classic sports car and he knows just the man to supply them. Soon Oscar Blaketon is the proud owner of his dream car, a red hot MG A - with the emphasis on "hot".

Jackie gets a visit from her old friend Caroline. She is surprised to learn that Caroline has a baby. Caroline needs a day off from motherhood and leaves the baby with Jackie and Mike while she goes to York to see some friends. Mike leaves the baby in a pram outside the police house, but when Jackie comes home from an errand the baby is gone. Jackie is not the only one who has a visitor. Lady Patricia visits her brother at Ashfordly Hall together with an old family friend Lord Hal Tadcaster. Well "together" may not be the proper word, because she would rather see him leave than stay. And with good reason since the CID suspects Tadcaster of being a drug dealer and asks the police in Ashfordly to keep an eye on him. The post office in Whitby goes on strike. Vernon Scripps gets the idea to start a courier service. And for once he does the dirty work himself.

Adrian Miller is giving lectures all over the country. After a lecture he is accused of trying to rape Lisa Preston in her room at the hotel where they both are staying. Jackie is appointed as his solicitor, but they do not get along at all - and that is putting it mildly. David is in charge of the household in Greengrass' cottage where both he and Vernon Scripps are staying, but he cannot cope with paying the bills and taxes and Vernon suggests that one of them (meaning David) gets a job. They take on a ploughing job for George Walker, but when they try to start his tractor David finds a body in Walker's car in the barn. The "body" turns out to be a bust which Walker has reported stolen together with some other items also found in the car. Once they have been found Walker has disappeared.

PC Bradley has been sent to investigate a break-in when he witnesses an explosion. It is the car of ambulance driver Frank Metcalfe which exploded when he turned on the ignition, and it looks like attempted murder because he has received anonymous phone calls and a threatening letter a couple of days earlier. The grocer Mr. Dale is attacked under similar circumstances. But they have nothing in common. The only lead is a blue Ford Transit van seen on both occasions and that the attacker has military training and access to the local arsenal. Pete Atkins fits these requirements, but he claims his innocence. Oscar Blaketon also receives anonymous phone calls. Is he the next victim? Rev. Meeks represents a foundation which offers Lord Ashfordly to finance the renovation St. Judes Church on his lands, and his lordship hires Vernon Scripps and David to do work for him. Meeks especially asks them to be on the lookout for a particular baptismal font from the church.

Russian chess champion Leonid Vorodin passes through Ashfordly Hall on his way around Britain and his lordship asks sergeant Craddock for a permanent police presence during his stay. This does not prevent a burglar to break into the manor during the night and steal some of Lord Ashfordly's precious chess sets. Vorodin plans to defect with the aid of his British press secretary Anna Young. But Sychen and Zaikov from the Russian embassy are on to their plans. Greengrass has decided to sell his cottage in Aidensfield in order to buy a house in the Caribbean. While David can move back to his mother Vernon has no place to go and does his best to discourage potential buyers.

Bill Dyer asks PC Bradley to take a closer look at Giles Sutton whom he suspects of rigging the sheep market. Sutton senses what is going to happen and offers Jackie his legal account. He even pays for their meal one night he "spots" Mike and Jackie having dinner at a restaurant. Mike gets angry when he finds out, but Jackie insists Sutton only did it as a gesture to her totally failing to recognize the consequences it may have on her husband. Sutton even leaves a large amount of money in Mike's jacket, and although Mike returns the money he is suspended for taking bribes. But even worse is to come in Mike's and Jackie's private life. Dilys Powell persuades Vernon to go into business with her marketing the spring water from her farm on bottles. Vernon thinks it is an excellent idea and invites Lord Ashfordly as a prospective investor.

Dr. Summerbee helps 16-year old Debbie White to get on the pill, because she thinks the relation with her boyfriend Carl Lomax is serious enough for that, and her friend Jenny wants some too. But their parents and the parents of their peers think the good doctor has gone too far. Somebody throws a stone through a window of the police house in Aidensfield, but sergeant Craddock thinks there are more important matters to tend to than finding the culprit. A big inspection is on in a few days and he wants the police station to be in tiptop shape. He changes his mind however when his own police car gets vandalized with paint. And the vandal is just getting started. Vernon Scripps accuses David of eating too much, but they must soon realize that they have an unwanted visitor.

Carl Lomax is found guilty in vandalizing police property and he is persona absolutely non grata with Mr. and Mrs. White because their daughter Debbie got contraceptive pills for his sake. As a matter of fact the whole pill story is making quite a stir in Aidensfield. Dr. Summerbee has one strong support though. Mike Bradley has grown quite attracted to the beautiful doctor after his divorce from Jackie. He is with her when her surgery gets burgled and a lot of drugs are stolen. Things do not get any better when Carl Lomax escapes from custody and Debbie decides to run away with him. Vernon Scripps' latest venture is slot machines, but the sleazy character Charley Woods is the sole supplier in that field, and he does not like competition at all.

Vernon Scripps' past catches up with him. Igor Saukas from Lithuania is captain on a coaster which makes a call at Whitby. Saukas uses the opportunity to call on his old friend, but Scripps is not too keen on seeing Saukas because of a deal involving faulty umbrellas and now Vernon is convinced that the Lithuanian is out for revenge. Much too his surprised Saukas instead offers him another deal - Lithuanian peat. Clive Denby from MI5 is also very interested in the Lithuanian. He asks sergeant Craddock to assist in the surveillance of him. Eamon Maxwell insists that something is wrong with him although Dr Summerbee's examinations show him to be in good health. Every time she has put his mind at ease he comes up with a new "disease". He may even have a death wish, because he often stands on the railway tracks and jumps aside at the very last moment.

There is a new face at the police station in Ashfordly. Probationary PC Tom Nicholson. He is a transfer from Scarborough, where he made quite a splash of himself and even hit the front page of the local newspaper. So PC Bellamy and PC Ventress decide to have a little fun at his expense. A number of items have gone missing from Lord Ashfordly's African collection. Lord Ashfordly is contacted by Chief Daniel Moketso, who asks his lordship to return some items which belong to his tribe's legacy, and the missing items are part of that legacy. Vernon Scripps tries his luck running a taxi service. If only it was not for the customers.

Ashfordly Hall opens its doors to the public with guided tours by Vernon Scripps. During one of the tours master art thief George Woodford sneaks away and hides in his lordship's wine cellar, where he makes himself comfortable until nightfall. Under the cover of darkness he then removes four valuable sketches by the famous English painter John Constable. Woodford is recognized on some press photos, but when the police want to question him, someone has beaten them to it, gagged the old man and knocks PPC Nicholson down. Of the sketches there is no trace. Not even in Woodford's hiding place. Somebody "accidentally" locks PPC Nicholson in one of the cells and then "forgets" all about it till next morning. A wise move because then he cannot make any mischief.

PPC Nicholson responds to a call about a break-in at the Shields Carpet Factory only to find the manager Trevor Shields "working late" with his secretary Maureen Felton. To get even Shields fires the works manager Neville Sawyer, and when an accident happens at the factory Shields blames Sawyer for that as well. But the safety records speak differently and the factory is closed. Vernon Scripps suggests to the local Women's Institute that they organize a beauty pageant, but is immediately opposed by Joyce Jowett who finds the idea revolting. When it is decided to go forward anyway Mrs. Jowett tries to stop it by notifying the police that the pageant is indecent. But Sergeant Craddock will not do anything because it is not illegal. That does not stop the virago however.

Steve and Amy are two of a group of squatters who move into Geoff Lawson's empty cottages on Oddy's Field. When Lawson hears about it he tries to get the squatters out, but that is easier said than done, and the squatters make Lawson look like a fool time and time again. When not even a court possession order helps three thugs break into the cottages to remove the squatters by force. Lawson is the prime suspect, but when the police catch the bullies they say they were hired by a woman. PPC Nicholson feels he is kept out of the investigation, follows up on a lead and questions Amy, who is very pregnant with Steve's baby. As expected Nicholson only screws things up - and triggers off the birth of Amy's baby.

Meryl Johnson is the manager of the Ellerby Building Society. One day she gets two uninvited guests. They want to keep her and her son Toby as hostages for a couple of days and then make her pick up all the money of the society for them. Luckily she manages to get a warning off to PC Ventress without the villains noticing it, and the police put her cottage under surveillance. There have been a number of salmonella related deaths in Aidensfield. The only common denominator seems to be the homemade chicken pie of the Aidensfield Arms. When Toby Johnson gets ill PPC Nicholson, who is on surveillance duty, reports the good Dr. Summerbee leaving, but not arriving (because he was taking a nap). Speaking of Dr. Summerbee, she gets a secretary to help her at the surgery, Jenny Latimer.

Dr. Summerbee gets a visit from her old friend actress Heather Conway over Christmas. Her stay is not a courtesy call though. She is hiding from somebody and that somebody is close on her heels. Emma Turner is blind and very dependent on her guide dog Peggy. But one day Peggy has disappeared. The dog is Emma's only company over the holidays, but despite a thorough police search there is no trace of Peggy. Fortunately an article in the local news paper turns up a lead. Joyce Jowett has become the new chairman of the local finance committee. She is very interested in the old folks' Christmas party and Vernon Scripps promise her to supply a Christmas tree with lights and everything. Getting a tree is fairly easy, but David has a small mishap with the coloured lights.

Walter Ames collapses at the square of Aidensfield and dies. When the police search his cottage for names of relatives they find something much more interesting; complete plans for serious crimes. All crimes have all been committed except one, and they were all planned by someone known only as "The Bookman" by Scotland Yard. The remaining crime is a hit on the Bank in Ashfordly. To prevent the robbery the police keep an eye on all newcomers in the area. Vernon Scripps has a new venture. Scripps' Roaming Holidays, where tourists can rent a gipsy caravan and drive along given routes through the country. The horse is even very easy to handle as long as you keep it away from Ashfordly Hall - and a few other places.. PPC Nicholson gets very attentive when an attractive woman asks for Sergeant Craddock at the police station, but PC Ventress thinks he may better tend to Mrs. Craddock himself.

Sergeant Craddock has been promoted and a new sergeant is expected at Ashfordly police station. His name is Dennis Merton and he is an ex-CID. From their patrol car PC Ventress and PPC Nicholson spot the disqualified driver Paul Rogers going in the opposite direction in his car after seeing his girlfriend Sandra, but Rogers denies having been driving when they confront him. His father Ken Rogers has had CID chasing his tail for years, and by going after Paul the Ashfordly police land themselves in the middle of a major CID investigation. David is out of form from sitting in the taxi and wait for customers. Vernon Scripps supervises David's training and spots the talented boxer Jeremy Purves. Scripps has high hopes for his new protégé, but despite his talents Purves lacks the deciding punch.

Jim Wainwright's barn burns down and although the fire was started deliberately Wainwright claims it was an accident and not worth any police attention. The next day the headlights of George Allsop's Land Rover are smashed and he too says it is not a police matter. PC Ventress and PC Bradley think otherwise because the Wainwrights and the Allsops have been in a feud with each other for many years although things have been quiet between them for a long time. But they may be starting up again. Vernon Scripps thinks Aidensfield and other villages need a cinema. He gets a projector from a closed-down sex club and plans to drive around and show pictures at the village halls. Joyce Jowett is against the idea and wants to have final approval of the films.

When Helen Jones comes home from walking her dog she finds an intruder in her house. The intruder escapes, but not without Helen recognizing him as her long lost husband Alan, who disappeared with a lot of his employer's money. Only Alan does not look a day older than the day he disappeared. David and Vernon Scripps help a young Frenchman Anton Berail. Berail's father owns a large vineyard and Anton thinks, Vernon's cottage is suitable for growing wine. Sergeant Merton tells PC Bradley and PC Ventress, why he had to leave the CID and become a uniformed police officer. Oscar Blaketon organizes a treasure hunt to raise money for playgrounds and everybody spend a lot of time trying to solve the puzzles. Mike teams up with Tricia Summerbee and they make cupid work overtime.

PC Bradley investigates a break-in at Agnes Moorcroft's guest house, but the only thing missing is the last page of entries in her guest book. Somebody seems to be very interested in her guests Sue Dixon and her daughter Tracey. Bradley thinks it may be her estranged husband, but the attractive Mrs. Dixon also has a big, dark secret in her life. The new health food shop in Ashfordly is desperate for goat's milk and Vernon Scripps is just the man to supply it. Business is booming and soon there are customers - and goats - all over Aidensfield. Especially goats. They turn out to be regular four-legged Harry Houdinis.

The walking disaster area PPC Nicholson comes of age and the whole village is planning a surprise party for him. To keep him - and everybody else - out of harms way Sergeant Merton sends him out to check tax discs together with PC Bellamy. Jimmy Sutton is suspected to be involved in an armed robbery and the Ashfordly police are asked to check on his whereabouts, but neither his mother nor his wife Lesley have heard from him. PC Bellamy stumbles across the robbers hiding out in the woods, and when he is injured PPC Nicholson offers to be their hostage instead. A heroic action with tragic consequences for him. Lord Ashfordly is playing host to a party of American veterans from World War II. Vernon Scripps persuades him to let the local brass band to be responsible for the entertainment. This is a bad idea because the band leader George Sugden does not like Americans and especially not this lot.

Sergeant Merton is dating Vivienne Keen, but the morning after a date she accuses him of stealing her purse. Merton of course denies the allegation and is suspended pending investigation, but things do not look to good for him when the purse is found in his apartment. Furthermore a similar allegation was made against him ten years earlier, but the case was dropped. PC Bradley still thinks his superior is innocent and begins his own, private investigation at the risk of being suspended himself. Bernie Scripps is acting strangely. He has seen Dr. Summerbee a lot recently and Vernon is afraid he suffers from a serious depression.

Saul Arkwright walks his dog close to Lord Ashfordly's estate when the dog is shot by one of Lord Ashfordly's guests Oliver Langley. Since Langley just drives off nearly hitting Arkwright in the process the latter see no other alternative than to make a complaint to the police. When the police do not do enough in his opinion Arkwright takes matters in his own hand. Vernon Scripps has had a new "bright" idea. He has bought a surplus U.S. Army half-track tank to drive tourists around the countryside. But since he has a boil in a very private place David has to drive the half-track for him. David only flattens half the village trying to get the hang of it.

Josie Peters is number one in her class. The class is going on a field trip, but she thinks she cannot go because her family is too poor to pay for it. Her school has a fund for situations like that, but her father will not accept any charity and insists that he will get the money himself. The night before the field trip Ralph Peel, Len Peter's employer, is mugged and the proceeds of the day are stolen. Josie also has a crush on her teacher Roger Gifford, and when her father reads about it in her diary he believes that her fantasies about him are true. The ventriloquist Ernie Dobson has died and left his dummy Enoch to David, who treats the dummy like a real person and drives Vernon Scripps mad.

Alex Robinson stays at the Aidensfield Arms while he tries to purchase land. But Ian Sinclair has beaten him to it and closed the deal with a couple of potential sellers. Lord Ashfordly has invited Robinson to dinner and he asks Gina to accompany him. His car has a flat tire and they have to go in hers. Late in the evening she feels bad and has to go home. The next morning she wakes up in her car only a couple of hundred yards from Ashfordly Hall. The previous evening Sinclair is seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident, and everything suggests that Gina is responsible. Sylvia and Linda are singers in a band, and to ensure that nothing untoward happens their father hires Vernon Scripps to drive them to and fro when they have a gig. But the loud music soon gets too much for him and David has to take over. The two girls soon discover that David is a real push-over in the hands of young females.

Ellen Richards has a miscarriage, but both she and her son Anthony show signs of being beaten by her husband Ray. Ron Wiley has died and Bernie Scripps is in charge of the funeral arrangements. His brother Vernon gets the idea that they can do the catering as well together with his new partner Gloria Gray at the expense of Gina, who usually caters for special occasions. Not surprisingly he and the others suddenly find themselves banned from the Aidensfield Arms.. But Vernon may get more than he bargained for when Gloria's daughter Millicent turns up at his doorstep. Mike Bradley and Tricia Summerbee are very much in love with each other, but he is afraid to commit because of his failed marriage with Jackie.

Oscar Blaketon gets a major shock when he sees a man passing in a car. Blaketon is absolutely sure the man is Harry Bradshaw, who was one of the biggest villains in North Riding when Blaketon became sergeant at Ashfordly police station. The only trouble is that Bradshaw is dead and his death has been confirmed by two trusted police officers one of which is PC Ventress. PC Bradley is investigating a break-in at a renting cottage, but the only thing missing is the tenant John Baker. His body is later found in a quarry. He was murdered and it turns out he was an old accomplice of Bradshaw's. At the Woodside estates Geoff Atkins and his neighbour Syd Carter accuse each other of digging in each other's gardens at night. After his latest venture has gone badly wrong Vernon Scripps tries something completely new to him. He gets a regular job at a department store in Ashfordly. When the department store is closed down the old entrepreneur in him wakes up again.

Ralph Harrison gives his wife Penelope his late mother's diamond necklace as a wedding anniversary present and persuades .her to wear it to the fund raising disco at the Ashfordly Grammar School. During their absence their house is broken into, but only a set of teaspoons is taken. Sergeant Merton suspects that the thief was looking for something specific. He may be right because the following day the house is broken into again and the diamond necklace is taken. Gina is afraid of spiders. Vernon Scripps thinks that hypnosis may cure her and offers his services because he is an (instant) expert on hypnosis. When he is learning how to he accidentally hypnotizes David without noticing. Sergeant Merton continues to have dizzy spells and Dr. Summerbee finds out that he is diabetic. This may be bad for the good sergeant, but it most certainly causes warm feelings to develop between him and Dr. Summerbee's secretary Jenny.

Tommy Rawson breeds sheep dogs and he the favourite to win this year's trials as it has done two years previously with his dog Jess. His nearest competitor is George Harding, who is a close friend of Lord Ashfordly and used to have things his own way. When he cannot win fair and square he will stop at nothing to discredit Rawson and have his dog disqualified. Harding's wife Maureen is hardly any better. She has got severe anxiety and expects Dr. Summerbee to prescribe her pills for it at will. Vernon Scripps is providing lavatory facilities for the trials and he soon discovers that it involves more than just putting up a tent or two. Good news for Sergeant Merton. His diabetes will have no bearing on his position as sergeant at the Ashfordly police station as long as he gets his medication.

The bank has refused Richard Harvey a respite on his loan and will auction off his farm, but Harvey does not give up without a fight. It turns out to be a very mucky affair, literally, and that is just the beginning. Gina is smitten by Mark Jenkins, who hopes to make a good deal at the auction, but Oscar Blaketon has his doubts about him. Given Gina's previous experiences with men he is probably right. David makes horse radish sauce for Gina using his Auntie Beth's recipe. It is a very good sauce and Vernon Scripps thinks marketing it will turn a very good profit. He even promises David that he will have his name and picture on the labels.

Guy Foxton publishes and sells guide books. Unfortunately one of his guided tours crosses the private lands of Les Parnaby. When the police cannot do anything Parnaby decides to take care of the matter himself. It is not the first time Foxton has had a dispute about the right-of-way and PC Bradley kindly suggests that he removes the route from his guide and does not use it anymore, but Foxton is not forthcoming at all. David's and Vernon Scripps' lorry breaks down and PC Ventress gives Vernon a lift back to Aidensfield. On the way Vernon Scripps hits his head when Ventress has to avoid a sheep on the road. That bump changes his personality and makes him a kind, loving person. He even pays all his debts and gives David a two week holiday on his birthday.

There has been a series of brand new tractor thefts in the area. They were all insured at the same company and stolen within days of delivery. Sergeant Merton reckons, Steve Calthrop will be the next victim and he tells his constables to watch Calthrop's tractor overnight. Calthrop sneaks out during the night to visit his mistress and while PC Bradley and PC Bellamy follow him his tractor is stolen. Vernon Scripps has a brand new idea. His latest venture is landscaping gardens beautiful enough to be the best of the village. The Naysmith-Jones's take advantage of his services, and since Vernon is not into the getting-your-hands-dirty part of the business as usual it is David's job to purchase the trees and plants for their garden - including a Greek statue that they want. He cannot afford the statue, but the garden centre salesman knows where he can get a cheap one second hand.

Cupid's little arrows hit everybody. Even Lord Ashfordly, who surprises everybody by introducing his new wife. On the first night in Aidensfield the newlyweds are held up by two masked and armed robbers. They especially seem to be targeting Lady Ashfordly, who is assaulted again the next day, and PC Bradley is assigned as her chauffeur and body guard. Joyce Jowett's sister has died and she needs Bernie Scripps' services as an undertaker. She is very demanding and as might be expected he cannot do well - or cheap - enough.

Gordon Purvis acts tactless towards Gina and Phil Bellamy tells him to finish his drink and go. Purvis does, but on his way out he hits Bellamy with his car and drives erratically. Unfortunately the charges against him are not sufficiently substantiated and Sergeant Merton lets him go with a warning. But Merton has another and more serious reason to let him go. Scotland Yard has Purvis under surveillance and has requested their assistance in this operation. PC Bradley is the best suited for the job, but he cannot tell anybody about it. The surveillance also includes horse trainer Kieron Doyle. Tricia Summerbee is smitten by Doyle's charm and takes him up on his offer to ride one of his horses. Thus the beautiful doctor unwittingly ends up in the middle of it all. Vernon Scripps gets a visit from his brother George, who he has never met. So he is very surprised to discover that George is actually a woman. He will also soon discover that she has a very expensive lifestyle.

The whole village and especially Mike Bradley mourn over the death of Dr. Summerbee. She is temporarily replaced by Dr. James Alway. Gina refuses to serve Bobbie Gray, because he is underage, but when he refuses to leave he gets into a fight with PC Bradley and PC Bellamy. The case ends in court, but Gray is acquitted by the presiding judge Charles Robertson. When Gray is arrested for a robbery he has committed Robertson confirms his alibi, because Bobbie Gray is actually his son. But it would have been healthier for Gray to stay in jail. On his way from Robertson's estate to the village he is the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Maggie Byrne turns up in the Aidensfield Arms and asks for her old friend Vernon Scripps. She is short of cash and asks Vernon to sell her engagement ring for her.

PC Bellamy set off in pursuit of a pursuit of a man, who supposedly stole the purse of Alice Armstrong. He does not catch the guy, but manages to retrieve the purse - minus her money. He is sure he will catch the culprit, but it may take some time because a series of break-ins at fashionable estates keep the police in Ashfordly occupied. The burglar may be a member of a small circus, which Vernon Scripps puts up for the winter. Scripps persuades Lord Ashfordly to let the exotic animals graze on his estate and open a wildlife park. But they may get more than they bargained for when the whole circus turns up and the animals escape and scatter all over Aidensfield. Col. Barber is very fond of telling stories about his exploits during the war, but his memory may not be what it used to be. Maybe it never was?

The Randalls were married in Aidensfield and they want their daughter to be wed at the same church. But Rev. Truscott is in dire need of bell ringers and asks Dr. Alway to help him out. The doctor enlists David and the Scripps's as his helpers, but bell ringing takes time to learn and not everybody in the village are that keen on the ringing of bells in and out of season. Lord Ashfordly is not satisfied with the income from his quarry. Therefore he hires Oscar Blaketon to keep an eye on the manager Mr. Briggs. Following an anonymous call the police discover that explosives are missing from the quarry. They also have to deal with the security in connection with the defence minister's visit to Fylingdales radar station. Oscar Blaketon has problems of his own. He has returned from a holiday in Spain with an accusation of violence hanging over his head.

Vernon Scripps and David are on their way in a tanker when they are forced off the road by an oncoming car. None of them get seriously hurt when the tanker overturns, but Vernon Scripps has a temporary loss of memory. Dr. Alway gets him admitted to his own hospital The Royal in Elsinby. The contents of the tanker ooze out on the ground and into a river and several people show signs of poisoning. Vernon Scripps is the only one, who knows what is in the tanker, and the hospital staff will not let anybody talk to him. Getting the tanker contents analyzed will take days and meanwhile nobody is allowed to use the tap water.

There is a new bobby in Aidensfield. Steve Crane will replace PC Bradley, who has been transferred to CID. Crane is not the only newcomer in the village. Dr. Liz Merrick moves in at the surgery as the new GP in Aidensfield. She is concerned about the loss of patients since her predecessor died, but Vernon Scripps offers to deliver a letter from her to every potential patient in the village. Two neighbouring farms have been broken into, but the owners Jack Farrow and Walter Rawlins say the break-ins are mere trifles and not worth any police attention. PC Crane does not agree and suspects they cover something up. Gerald Dunphy is wanted for armed robbery and Mike's first case as a detective constable is to keep an eye on his girlfriend in case he shows up.

DC Bradley is tipped off by his informant Harry that Vic Hawking and Len Dowd have bribed the driver of a bullion van to make an unscheduled stop so that they can rob it of its shipment of gold. The police lay in wait for the robbers, but something goes wrong when the van stops at a different place than it was supposed to. Gina is not the only pretty face at the Aidensfield Arms anymore. Her niece Susie got in with a bad crowd and her mother wants her to get away for a while and stay with her aunt at the pub. But Susie is not that keen on getting away from anything and especially not from her boyfriend Jamie, who follows her to Aidensfield. He has escaped from custody and PC Crane gets more than his hands full keeping an eye on Susie in order to catch him. Dr. Merrick's waiting room needs redecorating and Vernon Scripps and his colleagues are more than happy to do it for her. Since Bernie is too busy the task goes to David.

Lesley Ford's father went missing in action during World War. A few days before her wedding to Barry Lee she finds a piece of a shot down Mosquito fighter on the moors. Following the visit to a fortune teller at an amusement park on her hen night she postpones the wedding until the plane's pilot has been found and given a proper burial. To save his upcoming marriage Barry tries to find the spot where the Mosquito hit the ground. But the crash site is considered a war grave and the Ministry of Defence do not take it lightly when someone messes around with war graves without authorization. and to top it off two more shady characters are caught lurking around the supposed crash site. A new, very officious bobby turns up out of nowhere in Aidensfield and Ashfordly But not even Sergeant Merton has heard of any new bobby being transferred to the area and the police must face the fact that the have a bogus bobby on their patch.

Dean and Alec Farley play Batman and Robin. They chase The Joker and his gang all over the village and one day they see how Lefty Bates and his pal Chuck break into a building at a farm, which has been empty for years. The new owner James Bexley does not want the police to snoop about and hires the caped crusaders to locate the burglars. But the police have more important things to keep them occupied. A gang of counterfeiters has been operating all over the north and some of their notes turn up in Aidensfield. Dr. Merrick is harassed by anonymous phone calls. At first she thinks it is her former boyfriend again, but it turns out to much more sinister than that. Vernon's Aunt Aggie is dead and the family has been invited to divide the inheritance. When he and David arrive only the house is left. The house and a seemingly worthless table.

Vernon Scripps has become a more or less permanent chauffeur for the unpopular business man Jim Pinder. Pinder even hires Vernon to haul a boat on a trailer for him. The lorries from Pinder's quarry are a nuisance to a lot of villagers in Aidensfield, but many of them also depend on the quarry to make a living. Things heat up when one of the lorries has braking trouble and almost hits some school children and protesters block the access to the quarry. Somebody has vandalized Lily Barton's boundary wall and two dozen sheep are missing. She is also ill and PC Crane asks Dr. Merrick to have a look at her. But the old lady does not want a doctor thank you very much. And she does not want to move to a home either.

Mr. and Mrs. Thornton have been burgled. Their house is for sale and there was a similar break-in earlier in the same week. Sergeant Merton thinks that the burglar poses as a potential buyer and breaks in later. PC Crane has been absent minded for a couple of days. He is expecting a visit from a woman. She is somewhat older than him and soon the village is booming with gossip. No blame on the villagers though. She failed to mention that she is his mother. A new guest, Lennie Beech, at the Aidensfield Arms flirts with Gina, but Oscar Blaketon does not trust him.

Vernon Scripps has really made a killing on the paintings he bought from Steve Crane's mother. He kept one of them though. The one called "Tower Bridge". He organizes an auction for the benefit of Sir Nigel Fethersone's charity foundation and is "persuaded" by Oscar Blaketon to donate the "Tower Bridge" painting himself. But somebody steals the painting and he gets David to make a duplicate. Jenny surprises an intruder at Sergeant Merton's house. He does not hurt her, but only looks firmly at her and walks calmly away. The intruder is Eddie Harvey and he wants the sergeant to tell him the name of the man who grassed on him and an accomplice on a bank robbery. If Merton does not yield Harvey will kill Jenny.

Andrew and Beth Jarvis have been to a party for all the children in Aidensfield, but after the party their mother Linda does not show up to collect them. As a matter of fact neither she nor her husband have been seen since she had the family Land Rover filled up and serviced at Bernie's garage. Till they are found Dr. Merrick and Jenny take care of the children while Nathaniel Clegghorn keeps Phil Bellamy and Gina on their toes looking after the livestock. But they cannot go on indefinitely and Sergeant Merton organizes a search. Their neighbour Norma Weld may have an important lead. Speaking of Bernie's garage Vernon Scripps has a lot of plans for its future and invites Bernie to an expensive dinner at a posh hotel to discuss them. But Bernie is very satisfied with the way things are and will much rather be at home.

Marek Starosta and his daughter Hannah are Lady Patricia's guests at Ashfordly Hall. They are world class violinists and shortly after their arrival they notice that a very valuable violin is missing. But Hannah is more interested in PC Crane, who is sent to investigate, than in playing the violin much to the annoyance of her father. And her feelings are returned. Marek Starosta also suffers from a form of arthritis which eventually will make it impossible for him to play. Big and Little Jim turn up in Aidensfield and ask for Vernon Scripps. They are his cousins from Liverpool. Big Jim suggests that they tear down the old Greengrass farm and build a mansion more suitable to Vernon's wealth instead.

Aidensfield has been invaded by a gang of bikers from Ashfordly. Their leader Jason is jealous because his girlfriend Lisa is more attracted to Billy Fletcher. Furthermore he has given Billy some amphetamine pills to sell, but Billy's mother finds them and turns them over to Dr. Merrick, who reports the matter to the police, but refuses to give any names. Sergeant Merton gets the information anyway by tricking his fiancée Jenny to show him the list of patients. Vernon Scripps hires a new chauffeur and insists on calling him by his surname. At least until he learns that the surname is Darling. They start looking for a more suitable housing for Scripps than the old Greengrass farm. Gina and Phil have decided to give their relationship another go and he invites her on a week's holiday to Scotland.

A fire breaks out at the warehouse of Pyke Textiles. It is arson and the owner Peter Pyke is not able to throw any light on the matter, but his ex-wife Beryl holds a grudge against him for giving evidence, when she was convicted of fraud against the company and she has recently been released from prison. On the other hand a witness, Rosie Compton, saw Pyke's car near the warehouse at the time of the fire Vernon Scripps has finally settled on a mansion for his future home and wants David as his butler and chauffeur, but David will much rather stay at the cottage. When he goes to tell Bernie he discovers that his brother has restored an old horse-drawn hearse and immediately sees a business opportunity and goes into business with his new neighbour Amanda Buxton.

Linda Rollins has developed a serious drinking problem since her husband Mal went to Aberdeen to work. She also pops pills to help her cope. She has two sons Barry and Michael. Michael is the brighter of the two, but will much rather hang out with Barry and his friend Frankie. That brings him into trouble with the law. Pete has lost a lot of money in gambling and when his sister Christine cannot help him out he kidnaps David and holds him to ransom. Gina and Phil have returned from their romantic holiday in Scotland. They bring back a little more than they brought with them. Gina is pregnant!

The big day has arrived for Sergeant Merton and Jenny. The day of their wedding. But as it is almost a tradition for police weddings in Aidensfield something puts a spoke in their wheel. A masked robber has assaulted an armoured car and gotten away with thousands of pounds in old, used notes. The modus operandi suggests that the robber is Ronnie "The Dogman" Brown and Merton's old friend DS Kenny Parker is in charge of the investigation. Not surprisingly Brown has made himself scarce when the police come to pick him up. Meanwhile everybody else is occupied with the preparations for the wedding. Vernon Scripps promises to get a freshly caught wild salmon. He counts on catching it himself and to an (instant) expert on fly fishing that should not be any problem, should it? Despite her pregnancy Gina still has second thoughts about marrying Phil Bellamy.

A nasty surprise awaits PC Ventress, who is acting sergeant while Sergeant Merton is on his honeymoon. One morning an inspector of constabulary called Craig walks in and finds the police station in a mess and Ventress enjoying the homely comfort of the sergeant's chair, a sandwich and a newspaper. To his own misfortune Merton has returned early because Jenny was not feeling well, and he arrives just in time to bear the brunt of Craig's wrath. Craig's car has been stolen and his dissatisfaction only grows when Merton and his people do not drop everything else to search for it. Vernon Scripps' fortune has grown larger and larger and he is on the constant lookout for ways to increase it even further. A very promising way is shipping insurance and to make en even bigger kill he puts all his eggs in just one basket called the Torrey Canyon!

Dr. Merrick responds to a call from Katie Barnwell saying that her father is not feeling well, but Katie's big sister Meg insists that everything is OK and that there is no cause for alarm. But Dr. Merrick discovers that everything is far from OK when she finds the father dead in his bed and Meg trying to cope for herself and her two younger siblings in an attempt to keep the family together. Now it is up to the child welfare and they want to separate the children. Oscar Blaketon's attempt to prevent this is hampered by Robert Barnwell who is caught stealing some food. Robert is also the suspect in a number of break-ins in the village. Vernon Scripps has not been discouraged by the loss of his big fortune and a caravan site is a good a way as any to start a new one. But it takes more to make a successful caravan site than just finding a suitable field and putting up a few shacks.

Oscar Blaketon has organized for PC Crane to take a group of troubled youths on a hike across the moors for one day. At the last moment they get an additional participant Carl Laxton, who is the cousin of Geoff, one of the other participants on the trip. But Laxton may have an ulterior motive to go on the trip. Of course Steve Crane's mother chooses that moment to pay her son another and more permanent visit by the looks of it. She has even got a job as assistant librarian under the supervision of Joyce Jowett. Needless to say they do not hit it off. Mr. Shahrishi is the leader of a sect which has just lost the place they were staying in, and while he enjoys the comfort of the Aidensfield Arms his followers must make do with a clearing in the forest, and he does not get on with anybody. He is on the lookout for at new place to stay, which gives Vernon Scripps an idea. At first Lord Ashfordly turns him down, but then changes his mind. Not a wise move on his part.

Gina still has second thoughts about marrying Phil Bellamy, because it means she will have to give up the Aidensfield Arms due to an outdated police regulation, and she goes to back Liverpool to think things over. PC Crane is investigating a strange break-in at old William Barraclough's farm. Nothing was taken, but a statuette was left on a table, and a shop owner says he bought it himself. Barraclough also gets a shipment of cement he has not ordered. Is he getting senile or does somebody wish to make it appear so? Vernon Scripps has been summoned for jury service. He grows impatient when everybody else is chosen before him and leaves, because he has other important things to do as well. He has left David with a thorough list of what to do in his absence.

Miss Stanton complains about an obnoxious odour, a stench which pervades her cottage. It comes from the neighbouring ground, where Mr. Manley is building a new home for himself and his family. Vernon Scripps has bought some of the top soil from the building site for his latest venture, potting compost. It is delivered on the forecourt of Bernie's garage. He is told to remove it, but both Bernie and David are occupied so he has to do it himself. It gives him a severe rash and makes him very ill. Dead cows are found at the building site as well. Phil Bellamy is desperate, because he has not heard from Gina in days and she does not return his phone calls.

Eva Parker wants her dearly departed husband to be buried in the family grave in Aidensfield. But her brother-in-law Eli Parker will not allow his late brother to be buried in the family grave because of an old dispute. Jethro Woods was believed to have caused the death of Charlie Walker following a robbery against Walker's factory, but his guilt was never proven. Now he turns up in Aidensfield to Oscar Blaketon's great dissatisfaction. Walker's son Harry is not too happy about it either, and when Woods is the victim of vandalism and later gets killed in a hit-and-run accident Harry Walker is the most likely suspect. But Woods also claimed that he was framed and that he knew who really robbed the Walker factory, and he may have been killed to ensure his silence.

Lord Ashfordly has hired a new land agent Ben Norton, but not everybody is happy about the new man. Jake Clarke is convinced that Norton will tear down the tied cottages at the estate and fire all of the residents, and he organizes a protest against Norton. Norton is also opposed by Dr. Merrick, who is worried about the health of the workers. Lord Elsinby's estate including a popular fun park has to be sold to pay death duties. Vernon Scripps plans to buy some of it and sell it to Lord Ashfordly. But when he arrives only the miniature railway is left. Nat Wilmott is occasionally approached for some getaway work. He has turned straight - well straightish anyway - and he informs PC Bellamy that a gang from London is trying to hire him for a job in the Ashfordly area and they do not take no for an answer. But he disappears while Bellamy answers a call from Gina.

Barbara Simner suspects that her husband Ken is trying to kill her because of several so-called mishaps. She refuses to call the police, but they get involved when she is run down by a runaway tractor. Oscar Blaketon wants the "Best Kept Village" award to go to Aidensfield. A hindrance to this goal is a number of molehills, but Vernon Scripps has an all-purpose pesticide powder which should do the trick. And a potent stuff it is. David passes out while using it and Dr. Merrick suspects it to be very poisonous. The smell of it is surely strong enough to scare everybody away. Even the moles. Gina's friend Diane moves into the Aidensfield Arms to help her during the final stages of her pregnancy. Diane quickly sets her sights on PC Crane. Meanwhile Phil Bellamy is more preoccupied with finding a best man for his wedding to Gina than his police work.

The farmer Hugh Sanders discovers a crashed car in a ditch with the injured driver still inside. The car belongs to Martin Updike and it seems that he was robbed by his still missing passenger. Sanders' wife Kitty is involved in a savings and loans scheme. Jenny is one of her depositors. When she wants to take some money out, she is told that a George Harrow or Harlow has lent all the money. But no such person can be found. Vernon Scripps decides to enter a poetry competition, because it reminds him of all the times he beat Bernie in poetry competitions when they were young. Oddly enough Bernie remembers it the other way around and enters the competition too. And so does David although they both say he has not got a chance.

There is a big clay pigeon shooting competition at Ashfordly Hall. One of the contestants is the very arrogant Toby Fisher, who is very dissatisfied that Bernie has closed his garage for the day when his snobbyness is short of petrol late one evening. To correct that "oversight" he breaks up the lock and steals the petrol he needs. The theft is discovered immediately and Fisher only avoids arrest when he promises to pay the next day. Local man Robert Emerson is Fisher's biggest rival to win the shooting competition, and Fisher hates to lose. That is why Fisher becomes the prime suspect when Emerson is shot and wounded, but others carry a grudge against Emerson too. Among them Phil Bellamy who thinks that he was getting too friendly towards Gina. Normally Bellamy will not do a thing like that, but he is very depressed over Daniel's death and the prospect of losing Gina.

Former formula 1 driver Jack Maclean returns from a drive and collapses in his own hallway. He is diabetic and has gone into a coma, but Dr. Merrick soon get him back on his feet again. A car like Maclean's very distinctive Aston Martin was involved in an accident, but Maclean does not remember anything about any accident. Or so he claims. The next day PC Crane finds him dead of a massive overdose of insulin. Vernon Scripps is approached by a businessman and entrepreneur like himself, Leonard Parks. Parks has a proposition for him that will earn him a lot of money with a minimum of effort. He just has to recruit people for his organization to sell Parks' ShineFresh cleaning products. These recruits pay him a stake in return and may recruit more people who pays them a stake and so on. Just like a pyramid!

Dr. Merrick admits a mysterious man to the hospital. He has a few bruises and a nasty bump on his head. And he has lost his memory. To jog his memory PC Crane takes him to Aidensfield. Gina and Oscar remember that he has regularly visited the pub accompanied by an unknown woman. Dr. Merrick is also worried about one of her patients Mrs. Walker. She has some bruises, which she claims she got by falling over, but the beautiful doctor suspects they are due to domestic violence. When Dr. Merrick calls on her she finds her lying unconscious in a house smelling of gas. Her husband on the other hand is nowhere to be found. Vernon Scripps is afraid he has not accomplished enough and decides really make his mark on the world. At a seminar he gets in contact with Vince Edwards and Harry Blaine, who want to market e brand new kind of product. Plastic film to wrap around food and stuff. Who on earth has ever heard of a thing like that?

David sees how a man is thrown off a moving train after being assaulted and manages to get him to Dr. Merrick's surgery. When PC Crane stops the train a young man, Thomas Grant, tries to run away, but is apprehended. He claims his innocence saying he was on his way to see his girlfriend, but PC Crane finds out that he has escaped from prison. Vernon Scripps is followed by a donkey, and when he learns that this means luck according to gipsy tradition he decides to open a donkey sanctuary. Lord Ashfordly has decided to auction off some unused family heirlooms and Colin Taylor from Featherstone's auction house in London comes to Ashfordly Hall to assess the value of it. Alf Ventress has been forced to retire from the police, and the most significant change is that now he is not wearing any uniform when he is drinking his tea and eating cookies at the police station.

Oscar Blaketon gets a visit from his old colleague Harry Hawkswell. Hawkswell is mistaken for the very prominent judge Yardley by a communist cell in Ashfordly, who has been ordered to kill him by their controllers in London. Unpleasantness's of another kind awaits Vernon Scripps. He is going to be inspected by the Inland Revenue because of the huge fortune he recently gained - and lost! But he still has some undeclared money and goes into the woods one night to bury it, when he is nearly killed by a puma. Or at least so he thinks.

The annual hill climb is to be held on the roads around Ashfordly and Aidensfield, and the police are not too happy at the prospect of having "dozens of lunatics" driving through countryside at top speed. A lot of villagers do not like it either and Nathaniel Clegghorn speaks publicly about getting the race banned. One is even so unhappy about it that he tries to sabotage the event. Especially one competitor seems to draw the attention of the saboteur, Geoffrey Smee. Vernon Scripps on the other hand is so happy about the race that he wants to enter a car of his own. Dr. Merrick treats a young man with a head injury. When she returns to her surgery after a quick talk to Jenny the young man who called himself Trevor Black has disappeared.

Little Angel Jarvis disappears from her father's car, while he goes shopping for dinner. The police carry out a systematic search without finding the 6-year old girl, and Sergeant Merton fears the worst. The Jarvis' have been through a bitter divorce and Marie Jarvis accuses her ex-husband of being behind the child's disappearance himself. However a witness saw a girl matching Angel's description being let away by a woman she obviously knew. The discovery of Angel's shoes also points to Mrs. Jarvis' new boyfriend. Jenny asks the new super sleuths of Aidensfield, Blaketon and Ventress, to check out a new lead when her husband does not have the time to see her. Gina sees a rat in the kitchen of the Aidensfield Arms and Vernon Scripps, now an (instant) expert on vermin control, promises to get rid of it for her before the Council finds out. But the disposing of rats is easier said than done.

Clive Formby's combine harvester has been torched and he is convinced Ken Dixon in Ashfordly is behind it. A witness saw a shady character staying at her empty neighbouring house overnight and wandering about with a fuel can. The "shady" character turns out to be the new police constable in Aidensfield after PC Crane's death. His name is Rob Walker and Oscar is not too happy about him. His father Jake was a well-known criminal and Blaketon is convinced that nothing good will ever come out of that family. Dr. Merrick is concerned about one of her patients, Gilbert Percy, and persuades Vernon Scripps to clean the old man's cottage. Percy is very fond of Shakespeare and makes Vernon read the old master's plays to him instead.

Somebody tries to break in at Jean and Derek Lester's cottage. Derek does not want to report it, because nothing was taken, but his wife is sure she heard voices. Dr. Merrick discovers that her patient William Seaton is being blackmailed. He has paid 300£ and left the money in a telephone box in Malthouse Street. He is not the only victim of the blackmailer. So is Barry Jones, who runs a refuge next door to the telephone box, and Mrs. Ventress' goddaughter Susan. The only common denominator to all three of them is Derek Lester who becomes the prime suspect, but he is being blackmailed too. Vernon Scripps has an appointment with the famous publisher Howard Dufton. Dufton wants Scripps to sell advertising space for a new magazine, but the new magazine may never happen because Dufton is nearly bankrupt. Vernon Scripps has an idea that might save him.

The panda car of the police gets stolen while being serviced by Bernie. Oscar Blaketon suspects Mr. Proctor, a guest at the Aidensfield Arms who knows nothing about the birds he claims to be studying. The car is later used at a number of burglaries where the burglar poses as a police officer. Petty stuff at first, but then both the car and its "owner" are connected with a serious break-in at a jeweller's shop. Vernon Scripps organizes an art course with the famous artist Lorenzo at Ashfordly Hall. Some of the participants are interested in other things than art. Like Miss Glenister who makes several passes at poor David. Whatever the Celia Taylor and her husband are interested in it is not each other.

Mrs. Barton reports her husband Harry missing. He went out late at night to hunt a fox which has been after their pheasants and did not return. He is found dead, killed in an apparent accident, but foul play cannot be ruled out. Vernon Scripps risks losing his taxi license when David fails to pick up Mrs. Fforbes-Hepplethwaite, the chairman of the taxi licensing committee. Mrs. Fforbes-Hepplethwaite has set her heart on having the Aidensfield plough dance as the centrepiece of the village fête. However Oscar Blaketon has not been able to find any evidence that the dance ever existed, so Vernon Scripps decides to invent one to soften her up. The plough for the dance is supplied by Mr. Cartwright and Vernon Scripps is so impressed with his daughter Rosie that he hires her to help out as a mechanic at Bernie's garage.

PC Walker is forced off the road by Keith Baldock, but loses him when a flock of sheep crosses the road. Baldock claims he did not see him, but he may have confused him with PC Bellamy, who helped put him in jail five years earlier. Phil Bellamy has found a new love interest, Emma Dryden, after his wedding to Gina fell through. When Phil is walking her home one night he is almost run down by a speeding car and Sergeant Merton has little doubt that Keith Baldock was behind the wheel. But when Emma's son Jack is kidnapped Baldock has a perfect alibi. He occupies a cell at the Ashfordly police station. Somebody has stolen Lord Ashfordly's brand new greenhouse. As if that was not trouble enough Lord Ashfordly is also visited by Sandy and Jennifer, two relatives from Australia, and they are somewhat less formal than his lordship to say the least.

Wing Commander Andy Carstairs likes to fly around in his beautifully restored Hawker Hurricane fighter from World War II. One night the airfield watchman is knocked down and two explosive wedges are stolen. A gang of robbers have been using that kind of explosives to break into security vans, but Sergeant Merton thinks it is a local job when another security van is robbed using one of the stolen wedges. David enters a yellow fuchsia on behalf of his Aunt Peggy's friend Mrs. Crompton in the Aidensfield Flower Show. She has had a fall out with the chairman of the flower society Hector Plumpton and reckons she will not have a fair chance. There is another reason also. According to Plumpton yellow fuchsias are impossible to develop. So the plant makes quite a stir at the show. So much in fact that it gets stolen.

Don Tetley is looking for relics with a metal detector. He wants to search a building sit at the Ashfordly estate because there once was an old monastery, but is told to clear of by the contractor Bob Acott, but returns later during the night anyway. Tetley also gets a hard time from his wife and her lover. The next morning Tetley is found dead outside his cottage and most of his collection of findings has been stolen. Vernon Scripps gets a visit from his distant relative Gareth. He has a broken heart to mend, and by taking care of him Vernon hopes that there will be a little extra in it for him in his aunt's will. Gareth is really down in the dumps and Vernon asks Rosie to cheer him up a little. He has even two tickets for a concert with The Roaring Stones or something like that.

A storm is blowing and Oscar Blaketon is on his way back from Whitby when he witnesses how a tree tips over and hits the another car. Blaketon quickly gets help, but it is too late for the driver Alan Buckland a former sergeant of the Whitby police. His passenger Heather Hamilton is much better off and it seems that the two of them were running away from his wife, who is also Heather's sister. Apart from passports and ferry tickets they also bring along a bag with a lot of money in it. The incident also makes Jenny fear for her own marriage to Sergeant Merton. During the storm David and the two Scripps's were stranded at the Aidensfield Arms and Vernon asks Rosie's Uncle Zeph Pratt to join them in a game of whist. But Pratt likes poker better and after the storm he tricks Vernon into playing with him. Soon Scripps is taken to the cleaners.

The preparations for Liz Merrick's and Ben Norton's wedding are in full swing and her replacement as the local GP, Dr. Helen Trent, arrives and immediately has clash with Jenny. Speaking of Jenny Sergeant Merton is very worried about her and talks to Dr. Merrick about her, but the beautiful doctor assures him that there is nothing wrong with Jenny. For once Dr. Merrick is wrong and Jenny leaves the surgery unattended and unlocked. When Dr. Merrick returns she finds the surgery in a mess and some dangerous pills missing. When Jenny is confronted with she gets angry again. Her husband tries to help her, but only manages to convince her sick mind that everybody is against her. And he almost gets arrested for assaulting her when she runs away.

The day of the wedding between Dr. Liz Merrick and Ben Norton is growing near, but the happy event is overshadowed by Jenny's mental illness and Sergeant Merton seriously considers getting a transfer to be near her and able to support her. PC Walker finds an abandoned car on the moor. It is registered to Angela Price, who has been kidnapped and the kidnappers have told her husband not to involve the police. But Sergeant Merton knows Price and finds out anyway and he suspects that the kidnappers hide out in a farm they have rented from Lord Ashfordly. Ben Norton nearly misses his wedding when he is asked to assist the police because he knows the premises.

The Frankie Rio Trio once belonged at the top of the charts, but popularity has dropped and now they are struggling for a comeback. Now finances are so low they have to skip a hotel bill. They are on their way to Aidensfield, where they will stay with their old friend Vernon Scripps until an important gig in Whitby. On the way pick up a young woman, Rachel Godwin, and her baby and give her a lift to Aidensfield where her parents live. She has run away from a maternity hospital because she does not want to give up the baby for adoption and is now on her way to her parent's house in the village. While she calls her mother to prepare her Frankie is scared off by the sight of PC Walker and the trio drives off without knowing they have an extra passenger.

The police are on the lookout for stolen Russian icons which have been unloaded in or around Whitby from a fishing boat owned by Ingmar Larsen who is currently in prison for smuggling and violence. The captain of the boat claims he thought they were smuggling cigarettes and that they were ambushed by pirates just off shore. They recover one of the icons at an antique shop, and the owner tells PC Walker that he bought it from a blonde woman in her thirties. Lord Ashfordly is having a banquet for true gourmets. Vernon Scripps quite the right idea when he learns about truffles from the Italian Giovanni Viora, but he thinks the price is somewhat on the high side and decides to go looking for them himself. To find them you need a pig, but in lack one of those Alfred will have to do. And then of course you also need a truffle...

PC Bellamy takes over one of Alf Ventress' old contacts, Vic Smalley. From him he learns about Ray Craven, who is flush with money and it is not through taking sheep to market, which is his official business. But Bellamy does not exactly make the top of Sergeant Miller's charts when the police make a raid on one of Craven's lorries and find only sheep. When Gina tidies up in her guest Derek Ford's room she discovers that he works for the Inland Revenue. He is "on tour" in the area and Vernon Scripps is next on his list. In fact Scripps owes so much in back tax that he will never be able to pay it and he decides to do something drastic. Too late for him Oscar Blaketon discovers that Ford is a fraud with no connection at all to the Inland Revenue.

PC Bellamy is rushed to hospital after collapsing during an arrest. It is not due to a bad heart as he feared, but anaemia caused by a stomach ulcer, and an operation will take care of that. He has specifically told everybody not to let Gina know, but he gets very happy when she visits him at the hospital. Bernie's sister Georgina has been killed in an accident in Southern France, and since she was very wealthy Aunt Peggy has an eye on his inheritance. But her pleasure is spoiled by Vernon Scripps who returns from the dead - or sunny Spain rather - to claim his share. 16-year old Sally Jepson gives birth to a baby and her religious father takes it out on Tom Pickles whom he believes is the father.